I kiss his head and rest my hand on his skull protectively. “Good night, babe.” He’s already asleep after such a long day. It was nearly 1 am when he called me in tears because his mom got evicted (again) and they’re homeless (again). There wasn’t enough room in the car for her and their stuff, so he was going to be sleeping on a bench in 30F degree weather.  He said that he only had change to call me because he found it under a McDonalds drive through. I got in my El Camino and drove for an hour through sleet to come rescue him.

We had been best friends growing up, but family problems drove us literally further and further apart. There had been fleeting moments of intimacy, a kiss goodnight, love unresolved through distance and drama and his mom’s crack habit. I used to worry about him, but he’d always pop up once in a while, unharmed but skinny. That call tonight confirmed my worse fears. Now, he’s warm and safe. Tomorrow he’ll start a new life with me. He needs someone to care for him and love him, and I vow he will never feel suffering like that again.

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This post is fictional. Source is undetermined.